Power Of The Rose
by AlwaysUnrivaled
Summary: Sequel to Secret of the Rose. Rose has no chance of ever being normal. With her friends and family being threatened, Rose must do what she can to save everything she's ever known. There's just one problem. She can't do it without Nico. Nico/OC
1. Pain takes over

"All you have to do is say yes," a voice hissed into the boys mind. "Her power could be yours. It all could be yours!"

The boy shook his head, his shaggy hair moving out of place. Tears burned his vision. He was scared. He didn't want to do this. A hand grabbed the boy's throat, and threatened to squeeze. The boy bit back his terrified scream. If he said yes, it could cause so much trouble. Except, he was young. He just wanted to live.

The boy didn't know how he had ended up in a black room, where he could see nothing. He couldn't feel anything except his own shuddering body, and he couldn't hear anything except his heart pumping. Maybe that's why he was so scared. He was alone, except for the thoughts inside his head. He just wanted to run from his own mind.

"Yours, yours, yours," the voice inside his head said. It was so convincing, and so evil. If he said no, he would die right now. He knew that. The voice inside his head would shut off his body, and his heart would stop.

He would die slowly.

He would die alone.

He just wanted his mother, and his father, and his cat, Whiskers. If he said yes, he could go back to that. He wanted to be normal.

"Yes."

There was a painful burning inside of his head, and he screamed out. It felt like his brain was expanding, and it was too much pain. No eight year old boy should feel such pain and fear. Tears slipped down his face, and he knew he was going to die.


	2. My life takes a turn for the worst

**This may be a rough and rushed start to the story, but I hope you enjoy it! PLEASE REVIEW! **

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I sighed. I was lost. I had looked for William Street for the past ten minutes, and couldn't find it.

"I hope your new friend is worth it," I told my step brother, as I turned around, and looked for the street again.

"He is," Alex promised, "Maybe we need to turn onto another street before William Street."

"What do the directions say?" I asked, not taking my eyes off of the road.

"Oh, I lied. You turn onto Market Street before William Street," Alex said, a nervous smile was on his face.

"You got us lost on purpose!" I exclaimed, teasingly hitting his arm. "Now, I'm going to be late for the college convention."

Alex's pale face became serious. Suddenly, his eyes darkened a bit, "I don't want you to go."

"The convention only lasts for two hours, silly boy," I said, but I knew what he meant. I didn't want to leave either.

We pulled up to the blue house, and there was a mother and the son standing in the front yard. Something was odd. I could feel it in my bones. As soon as I pulled into the driveway, there was a cold tension that I had felt before.

A monster was inside that house.

"Stay in the car," I told him, giving him my serious look. He knew to obey me. I was the fun jokester of a sister, but he also knew that there were times to slow down, and listen to me.

"Why?" Alex asked, wearing a worried expression. Even though we weren't blood related, we almost looked alike. We had the same skin tone, blonde hair and facial features. It was our eyes that separated us.

I didn't say anything, and got out of the car. I walked up to Alex's new friend and his mother.

_Crap, _I thought. There wasn't a monster living with the family. The family WAS the monster. I had to get Alex out of here. I had been adopted by the Knight family two years ago. I had somehow managed to keep my immortality a secret from them. They never asked where I had come from. It's not like I would have told them. _Ah, you know, I was stuck in a hotel for years that dulled my senses. I'm really a goddess so I don't have to age if I don't want to, _yeah, that would have gone perfectly!

Monsters came around all the time, and I did my best to fight them off without revealing myself. I loved the Knight family more than anything, and they were all I had. I had to protect them. Right now, Alex's life was in danger, and I had to end this.

It was times like these when I wished I was normal, and had no affiliation with the gods. Yet I was one of them.

"You must be Alex's sister," the mother had a tall, slim frame. Her eyes were hollow and tired. She had a semi-normal voice, but I could hear a husky edge. I tried to stay calm, and act normal.

"Yeah," I said, "This must be Alex's friend." The little boy was too skinny, and his eyes were too hollow. "I just came to say that Alex is really sick today."

Their eyes went to my blue Camaro, where Alex was sitting quietly in the car. He looked pretty dang healthy. Their eyes turned towards me, and the little boy's mouth opened. He had a tongue of a snake.

_Please don't be a hydra, _I begged, but it was too much to ask. The mother and son formed themselves into a hydra. I heard a scream from the Camaro. The passenger door swung open, and Alex jumped out.

"Get out of here," I yelled at him, but he didn't move. "I'll be okay, just run!" Alex looked at me, and my determined expression. "Please, Alex," I hissed, "I just want you to be safe." He finally nodded and ran the other way. I turned back to the huge Hydra.

I smirked, "You don't know who you are messing with." I still had my locket around my neck. I flipped it open, and blue electricity whirled around me. The Hydra tried to escape the blue fire that surrounded it, but it was engulfed with blue electricity and fire.

A voice hissed out of one of the Hydra's heads, "Everyone you know and love is going to die, just like Nico D'Angelo unless…"

The Hydra head burst into flamed and disintegrated.

"You give up yours powers," the final Hydra head said, and then the Hydra was gone. I closed my locket, and stood paralyzed.

My heart began to beat quickly. I imagined my family dying, my friends being murdered, and everyone just disappearing. I began to shake, trying to push away those images. Then, I realized what else the Hydra had said. It had mentioned Nico. I hadn't heard or said Nico's name in two years, and I thought it all had been long forgotten. How could the Hydra know about him?

I heard a cackling laugh, and turned to see three Fates standing across the street for me. One held a long string, and another held a pair of long, golden scissors. The Fate reached over and snapped the thread.

Someone was going to die.

It was going to be someone that I loved.

I panicked and realized this all had been a mistake. I had been so naïve to think that I could have a family, and no one would be harmed. I was a goddess; of course everyone I knew was going to die. Its how things worked around here!

I had to get out of here, and leave everything behind. Maybe if I left this life, no one would be hurt. I jumped into my car, and I fought the tears.

I pulled away from the house, and went to find Alex. I would take him home. Then I would leave. I found Alex on the curb of an abandoned road, tears streaking down his beautiful, innocent face. I pulled up, and he hopped into the car.

We didn't say a word.

"Alex, I want you to forget this ever happened," I told him as he got out of the car. Once he left the car, I closed my eyes and squeezed my eyes shut.

_Forget me, forget me, _I whispered in my head. Then, a breeze picked up, and whirled around the car. It stopped.

Everyone had forgotten I existed.

It was too bad that I would never forget them. I drove away, remembering Alex, and his wise attitude. I remembered my step-mother, with her strong personality and big heart. I remembered my ambitious step-father, and how readily he would help me. I remembered my friends at school, who had made me laugh until I cried.

I remembered them.

Now, they don't remember me.


	3. I'm given an important job by the gods

**Hopefully, this plot makes sense! Please tell me if it doesn't! Here is a nice, long chapter to thank you for the reviews! IF you want another long chapter, all you have to do is review!**

I didn't know where I was going; I just knew I was going away. I didn't stop to eat lunch or get gas. I blasted my music, trying to drown out my thoughts. _This is just like a movie, I should be excited, _and I forced myself to think. _Of course…for a movie, you can pause, rewind or change the movie. _I didn't let myself think anymore. I had to stay positive.

I drove to the only place I could think of. Mount Everest. It made me normal. It helped my think. I would only sit on the side of the mountain, not going too high. What was really on my mind was Nico.

_Nico D'Angelo, son of Hades went on a quest with Rose and never returned. The battle was a victory, but a strong warrior was lost. He now rules the Underworld, and no longer comes up to the surface. He was a wise teenager, and a good boy. He will be missed dearly._

That's what Chiron stated at Camp Half-Blood when we burned his shroud. When I had returned to Camp Half-Blood to announce Nico's death, everyone had been stunned. Nico? Dead? If it had been anyone else, I would have laughed from the irony of it all.

"I'm going to miss that kid," Percy muttered under his breath.

"Nic D'angela ?" Mr. D had asked, and I wanted to slap him. How dare he be disrespectful to the boy who had become my best friend?

_Because of him, we now have a safer world! We may not exist today if it wasn't for Nico, and of course, Rose._

Chiron had acknowledged me.

The second I had stepped foot into the camp, everyone had stared and whisper.

"She's a real goddess."

"She's the daughter of the evil titan."

"She must be evil."

"It's because of her that Nico is dead."

I wished I could have made them shut up, but I held my chin high, and kept on walking. Right after Nico's ceremony, I had left camp. I just wanted to get away from there. I went to the forest and summoned Nico. He refused to appear.

I cried the whole night.

I had never cried since then.

Then something snapped inside of my head. It felt like my brain was exploding. I held my head, refusing to cry out. I sat on the mountain, shuddering with pain, wondering what was happening to me. It felt like I was being attacked from the inside.

Then the pain spread to my shoulders.

My stomach.

My legs.

Then, I couldn't move because I was engulfed with pain. I didn't know what was happening. I heard laughing in the back of my head. I squeezed my eyes shut and gritted my teeth.

Then, the pain stopped.

The laughing went away.

I quickly stood up, and brushed myself off. What had just happened to me? I pulled myself together and didn't let myself shed a tear. I shook away the weird feeling, and headed down the mountain.

_Rose…_

That voice was in my head. It was husky and quiet. It was Nico's voice. I froze, racking my brain, trying to figure out where the voice had come from.

_Go to Mount Olympus._

Nico's voice came out of nowhere. I was shocked but instantly recomposed myself. There wasn't a single doubt. I had to get to Mount Olympus.

I hadn't been to Mount Olympus in months. Not since the last…accident. I got in my car, and drove all night. I never once thought about turning around. There was a voice in my head that told me to go to Mount Olympus. The voice sounded like Nico's. Therefore I was going. Don't call me crazy, because I already know I am.

I reached the Empire State Building by morning, and I could tell that I probably looked like crap. I had black bags under my eyes, but I didn't care. I rushed into the Empire State Building.

"Where is your elevator?" I asked.

"Who are you?" The man working the desk asked. He looked tired and stressed. I wished I could give him a cookie.

"Rose," I said with a smile, hoping he would realize who I was. He didn't.

"What is your business here?" he asked.

I looked around and made sure no one was listening, "I need to go to the 500th floor."

He didn't look at me like I was crazy. He just gave me a tired look, and I knew he said this too often, "Miss, there is no 500th floor."

"Do you want me to tell Poseidon how you didn't let me up there? He will be angry," I felt bad for snapping, but it was the only way to convince him. The man sighed. I pulled out a few drachmae and then he handed me a key. I thanked him and reached the elevator.

I hated this elevator ride. What should take an hour to get up, it only took 5 minutes. That's because it goes ridiculously fast, which does not agree with my stomach. I held tight onto the railing in the elevator, and then the elevator made a ding. It had stopped.

I walked out and looked at Olympus. Something was wrong. Olympus wasn't busy with gods and goddesses like usual. The streets weren't lit up. Everything was dark, and there were storm clouds in the sky. I quickened my pace and hurried to the main court house.

When I reached there, I turned into my large self. It was weird being so large. Yet, it lost its weirdness when I approached the other enormous gods. They all had sad expressions, and wore frowns.

"Rose," they greeted me, and I took a seat.

"This council meeting is now in session," Poseidon announced, and we all quieted down. "As most of you know, we have encountered a problem. We now have Rose here, to help us." I gave him a confused look. I just wanted him to get to the point. I looked over and saw Apollo making eyes with me. I rolled my eyes at him. Of course he expected me to be attracted to him. I wasn't. He was too cocky, and reminded me of a Hollister California surfer.

Athena spoke up, "Rose, we are here to negotiate with you. We know you are not a regular member of the council, or even a favorite god." She didn't mean to be rude; it was just the hurtful truth. I smiled sadly at her. It was true. I was not a favorite goddess, especially after the last few years. "Yet, we need you."

"Why do you need me?" I asked, hoping they would hurry up. Maybe I could catch the next showing of Final Destination 7. "I'm no one special."

All of their eyes went to the locket. Oh, right. They didn't need me. They needed the locket that only I could open and use. I tried not to feel used, but I couldn't help it.

"We want to negotiate with you," Poseidon stated, "We know that you won't want to do this, but we know what you will do it for."

Of course they knew my weakness.

Ares sighed, "Can I just blast her off of Mount Olympus right now, and get this over with?" I glared at him. So did everyone else.

"Yes, please get this over with," I didn't mean to sound rude, but it just happened. "What do you want me to do?"

"There is a titan who has been attacking our minds. It is Coeus, the titan of intellect. He is getting inside of our heads, and stealing our ideas and putting in evil thoughts. As you know, that locket gives you the power to take other gods powers. Do you know what that means?"

I shook my head. I still didn't have the locket figured out. Hey, I was an eighteen year old girl. I didn't have anything figured out.

"If you wanted to, you could take over my power of controlling the ocean," Poseidon didn't like this, "You could take over Aphrodite's power to control love." Aphrodite scoffed at this. "We need you to share Coeus's power so you can get inside someone's head and fight him off." He paused for a second, trying to make more sense. "Let's say Coeus attacks my brain. You would use his power to also get into my brain, and fight him out."

It did make sense. I had the power to steal, share and give powers to anyone because of this locket. If Coeus was taking over Aphrodite's mind, or any other gods, all I had to do was use Coeus's power and get inside the brain as well, and fight Coeus out of it.

Of course, it wasn't that simple.

"Why should I help you?" I snapped. Although, I was pretty sure the events of pain in my brain on Mount Everest had been caused by Bryndo as well. I did not mention this.

"If you agree to do it, we will get Nico out of the underworld to help you."


	4. Nico thinks he is in hell

** Sorry for taking so long to update! School is crazy right now! I'm trying to stay all A's, but I've been sick, and some of my classes are hard, blah, blah, blah! Anyway, if you want another chapter, PLEASE review! Reviews inspire me! Tell me what you like or dislike! Sorry if Nico is OOC, but you'll see what's going on later on(:**

OF COURSE. YES. PLEASE! INDEED! Every form of saying yes flew through my mind, but I caught myself before I opened my mouth. This was a lot to handle. Going into someone's mind? Battling someone who could go into someone's mind? Sounded exciting to me. I took a deep breath and wondered if Nico would want me to agree to something like this. He obviously didn't want to be up here, or he would at least visit me. The selfish need to see Nico caused me to finally open my mouth and say, "I want to talk to Nico about it."

The gods stared at me, as if this was a wild, insane, unheard of request.

"It's yes or no," Ares growled.

"I'm the only one who can help you," I growled back, glaring at him. "I want you to send Nico up here, as a real man, for one week, so we can discuss this." I was proud of myself. This seemed like a smart decision. How could Nico not like this? How could I have come up with anything smarter? Of course, this was the best I could do. Although, someone else probably could have come up with a better plan. I wasn't the best at plans or thinking things through, so I went with what I got.

The gods murmured amongst themselves for a moment, and finally Poseidon said, "Alright, we will bring him up now."

I crossed my fingers. _Don't hate me, Nico. I couldn't say no. Don't take me. Oh, please still be cute. _I didn't know where the last thought came from. Actually, that thought came from a girl who always thought Nico and I had a chance to be together, someday. Of course, that girl had been thrown away when I had realized Nico was gone.

"Actually-" I opened my mouth to change my mind. This was a bad idea! I couldn't do this! I didn't want to see him! I didn't want this! It was too late. Nico appeared in front of me. His back was turned towards me. He was facing the gods, so he could not see me. I caught my breath. His hair was shaggy, but not too long. His usual olive skin was paler than usual. Obviously because there wasn't a sun down in the underworld.

"Why am I here? I told you I didn't want to be disturbed by you idiots anymore!" His tone was ruthless and even a bit cold. That was my first thought. My second thought was that he was brave for calling the gods idiots. Most demigods wouldn't say such things, because they would be fried like Kentucky Fried Chicken.

The gods all huffed but they looked at me. Nico turned to see what they were looking at. Me. We both looked at each other for a second. We studied each others faces. Nico wasn't cute anymore. He was sexy as hell. No, he was a handsome man. His shoulders had broadened, and his chin had widened. He was in great shape. His eyes still disturbed me. His eyes spoke of horrible truths and hid deadly secrets. His lips were not smiling.

Nico was colder than ever.

"Long time no see," I said brightly, forcing a false smile. _Come on Nico, show me your winning smile. _Nico did not smile.

He turned back to the gods and demanded to know, "What is she doing here?"

His words threatened to break my heart. We hadn't seen each other for two years. We had saved the world together. Yet, here we were, strangers. I kept my chin up, and kept wearing my smile. I was stronger and better than ever, and I was going to make sure he knew that. I was strong enough to be happy, even during the worst of times.

"She has come to negotiate with you," Poseidon said, and nodded towards me, "You know what to do. I have heard that you are in need of a new place to stay, Rose. Check out 241 Avatar Road."

I thanked him, "Follow me, please." I tried to sound sincere, but it came out a little too bossy. I hadn't meant it to be. Nico didn't argue. He looked like he was ready to burst, and I was preparing for it. We went down the elevator without speaking. We walked out of the empire state building, and got in the car. He did not comment.

I put the address into the GPS, and started the car. Finally, Nico burst.

"What the hell is this, Rose?"

_Oh, Nico! What has happened to you? Where is your kind, understanding side that I know you have? Where are you? _I asked myself. I kept my eyes on my road and laughed, "The gods are so stupid! They need my help, but they need you as well." I kind of lied on the last part. They didn't need Nico. I needed him.

Nico glared at me, "I don't want to be here. I want to go back to the underworld."

"You used to hate that place," I protested, turning on some music. Nico changed it to screamo. "No, we are listening to Demi Lovato. Her new album is ah-mazing!"

Nico glared at me, and reached out and changed it. I didn't change it back. I didn't want to argue with him. Not now.

"I want you to help me with a task that the gods gave me. I have a week to convince me."

"A week in hell," Nico muttered under his breath.

"You live in hell," I hissed back. Forget being happy! I took my eyes off the road and looked at Nico's face. I remembered the night when Annabeth, Percy and him had saved my life. He had been an angry adult, but I had soon seen that there was more. Maybe this was just another wall I had to break down. "The task is-"

"I don't want to hear it. Not now," Nico said.

"Why don't you want to be here?" I demanded, my voice icy and strained. "Are you partying ever night there? Do you have a ton of dead friends? I bet you have an Underworld Queen!"

Nico snapped his neck to look at me, "No, it is nothing like that! You wouldn't understand."

I bit my lip and realized that lashing out hadn't been smart. Whatever Nico would have told me would now stay a secret. Something was going on in the underworld, and he wasn't telling me. I sure wasn't going down there to find out.

I had one week to convince Nico to stay up here with me, and help me with the task. Yet, I really had another goal in mind.

I just wanted to find my Nico again.


	5. This may be harder than I think

**Sorry I haven't updated in forever, but that is going to stop! I'm starting to pay a lot more attention to this story! So, tell me what you think! Tell me what you like, dislike, etc! The more reviews I get, the more I will update! I hope you enjoy! 3 **

I found myself trying to do the same thing I had when I was sixteen. I was trying to figure out what Nico was thinking. His expressions were impossible to read. It was like starting from the beginning. I had to learn who Nico was again. It was like nothing ever had happened before. Except something had happened.

"This is like the old days, going off on a new adventure, saving the gods," I forced out a laugh. Nico gave me a side-glance that told me this was nothing like the old days.

I pulled in front of the house and was shocked by how nice it was. Goodbye old hotel rooms, sleeping in cars and park benches.

Without exchanging words, Nico and I got out of the car and walked up to the three-story brick house. It had white shutters, a white porch and a white door. I opened the unlocked door and stepped into the sophisticated house.

"The gods are really desperate if they gave us something this nice," I noted, hoping for Nico's opinion. His mouth stayed closed. I wanted to strangle him. He seemed silently angry and it was because of me. "Okay, down to business, here's what's going on," I started to say once we both were sitting at the kitchen table.

"I know what's going on," Nico crossed his arms and leaned back. Of course he did. Typical Nico, he always had to be one step in front of me.

"How?" I asked, curious about hwere he got his information.

Nico didn't reply and I knew he wasn't going to tell me. I wanted to nag him until he opened up, but I didn't. "So, what do we do?" Nico didn't say anything. "I need you to help me! Please!"

"I haven't agreed to help you. I don't want to help you. I want to go back home," Nico stated sternly, his dark eyes boring into mine.

"Don't think of it as helping me. Think of it as helping the gods," I replied, thinking of ways to persuade him.

"It's the same thing," he snapped. This was going to take a while.

I decided to change the subject. "How is the underworld?"

"Good," he replied simply. I wanted him to ask me how I had been. I wanted him to ask me what was new in my life or how being a goddess was. I wanted him to care.

Getting Nico to help me was going to be tough, but I had done things that were tougher. Finding out I was a goddess had been tough, but learning how to be a goddess had been toughest. If I could do all of that, I could do this.

"Do you hate me because I am a goddess?" I finally asked after a prolonged silence. I knew Nico was going to say yes. At sixteen, he had been wildly complicated. He had been mischievous but a bit paranoid. He had been compassionate but cold. He had known who he was, but had still been desperately lost. Now, he had lost that complexity. He was cold and angry.

"No," he replied, and I searched his eyes, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth. I couldn't tell. His answer surprised me.

He stood up to leave the room, and I raced over to grab him. "Nico…" I didn't know what I was going to say. There were too many things I wanted to say. I missed him. I needed him. I wanted to know his secrets. I had once been in love with him. Was I still now? I didn't know. It didn't seem right to just love the old Nico and despise this boy in front of me.

Nico pulled out of reach and didn't meet my eyes.

This was life. Life was beautifully complex, crazy and always changing. What wasn't changing was the memories of Nico and me. Him helping me. Him comforting me. Him changing. Those memories caused me to be hopeful. Maybe the old Nico was still inside of him, somewhere.

He tore me out of my deep thinking. "I don't hate you because you are a goddess. I hate what being a goddess has turned you into."

Perhaps I was too shallow to understand what he meant. Yes, when I was sixteen, being a goddess had turned me into a PMSing monster. Yet, that was over. I wanted to say that I learned how to be a goddess, but that would have been a lie. I hadn't learned how to be a goddess, I had learned how to live a normal life.

"You don't know who I am," I spat and that was true. I had changed. I may have still been curious, rash and irresponsible but I had grown up and become mature. My mindset and view of the world had changed.

"Oh please, Rose. You know you can live forever with that necklace around your neck. You know you can be whoever you want to be, young or old, ugly or beautiful. You don't depend on others, because you don't need anyone," he spat at me.

_That's a bad thing? _I thought first. "That's not true." It was. I had loved the family I had lived with, I loved the gods, I loved people but I knew I didn't need them. The necklace was all I needed.

"Worst of all, you could change the world and help people, but you sit around and help yourself. You haven't changed at all," Nico finished. I wanted to savor those words because they were the most I had ever heard from him in years. Yet, I could not savor the words that tore me apart.

I want to lash back at him, but I knew that would do no good. "You are wrong." He was right. Leave it to Nico to get to me.

Nico left the room and I stood by the kitchen table, hardly breathing. I decided to take a walk. I stepped to take a walk. I stepped into the cool air and walked down the deserted street. Trees surrounded me, and the sky was blue.

Right now, more than ever, I wanted to be normal. I didn't want to be a goddess. I didn't want to be here.

Something grabbed me and I whirled around.


	6. Bird attacking me wasn't on the agenda

**Yay! Here is some action, and some more Nico-Rose time! I have big plans for this story! Now, I am very picky about how I portray my characters, and I am not sure how I feel about Rose and Nico. Tell me if you like/hate them!**

**Thanks for the one review but I will NOT be posting until I get more reviews!**

**ENJOY!**

I have seen some pretty weird things in my lifetime. Being a goddess has those perks. But what was before me beat Lady Gaga at weird. It was a large bird with a shiny beak and metallic feathers. Its shone a vivid red, and it let out a squawk. It had sharp talons.

The worst part?

It wanted me dead.

I was at a vulnerable stage with no weapons, a hurt heart and a weak mind. I reached to my neck and tried to open my locket.

It wouldn't open.

The creature lunged at me and I ducked, and its talons missed by an inch. I dove into the trees and it followed me. Then it did something strange. The creature shot a feather at me. I whizzed past me with incredible speed, and it hit a tree. The tree leaned to the side.

Okay, don't get hit by a feather.

I reached for a branch, but the creature gashed my back. I could feel the blood oozing down my back. I kept running. Finally, I found a broken branch on the ground and I picked it up. It was a dry branch, but it would have to do. I whirled around and whacked the creature. It just shook it off and let out an angry squawk. I just made it more mad.

I ran faster.

I stumbled out of the forest, the creature just half a second behind me. We were in someone's backyard. I looked around for potential weapons and ran for the grill, hoping there was something-even a spatula-inside.

Then, the bell tower just down the street started to clang. It echoed down the streets. The bird yowled in pain, the sound hurting its ears. The bell continued to clang. It must have been signaling it was noon. The bird burst into dust.

I left the backyard, huffing and puffing and blood oozing. Now, I had to find my way back to the house. As I walked back, I was even weaker than before. I could barely survive a creature attacking me. I took off my necklace and looked at it. It still wouldn't open.

I stumbled into the house, and tore off my shirt and wrapped it around my stomach. I could feel four scratches on my lower back. I hurried upstairs and opened the bathroom door. Nico stood in front of the mirror with dripping wet hair. No worries, he was full dressed.

I wasn't.

"Out!" I cried, weakly shoving him. Nico looked me up and down. No, he wasn't checking out my good body (or lack thereof.)

"What happened?"

Without answering, I closed the door on his face and turned to look at the wound. It was beginning to heal. My godly blood came in handy. Within the minute, the wound was healed and I washed away the residue of blood. I slowly opened the bathroom door and slipped into my bedroom. In the closet, the gods had given me several clothes. Problem was, Aphrodite had been the one to choose the wardrobe.

I pulled out a colorful flowing shirt and slipped it on. I went downstairs and found Nico on the laptop.

"Can I use that?" I asked. I really wanted to see what kind of creature had attacked me.

"You are weak," Nico stated, sliding the laptop next to him. I sat down next to him and got on google.

"No," I replied, but I really was. I hadn't trained in months.

"This quest will be a failure anyway if you are weak," Nico stated, "This will be a waste of time."

"I'll become strong. Just help me," I answered. I decided to be honest, "I need you. I need you to fight beside me."

"You need me or you need the old times?" Nico snapped, "You should really move on."

"Is that what you did?" I asked coldly, "If it is, I want no part of it." Moving on was not an option. I studied Nico for a second when he did not say anything. "You haven't moved on, you have simply pushed out the past. That's not moving on."

"Stop talking like you know everything," Nico finally said after a moment of silence.

"This is what attacked me," I said, changing the subject. "You know the dream god, Morpheus? These creatures, Stymphalian birds, work for him. They are these man-eating birds that have bronze beaks, metallic dart feathers and are allergic to sound. I just have no idea why Morpheus's creatures are trying to kill me…It's Coeus that's after the gods, not Morpheus… "

"Don't care," Nico muttered. I gripped the sides of the laptop, tempted to hit him with it. I did not move.

Nico and I sat still for several minutes. There was so much I wanted to say, but I didn't. Now wasn't the time. I didn't know when was the time. I wanted to tell him how hard life has been without him. How I needed him. I didn't.

This time, I chose to leave and escaped to the TV.

"You should be training," Nico stated, "I'm not doing this quest but you are." I waited to complain and say I just got attacked, I was too weak and I wasn't ready. Yet, those were excuses. Nico was right.

I left the TV room and went to the workout room. That's just how big the house was. I blasted Taylor swift and ran on the treadmill. Truth is, I hated working out. I hated training. I would much rather eat candy on the couch.

I worked out for a long time, and went to take a shower. Once it was dark, I decided to find Nico. He was lying on his bed, sketching in a notebook.

I stood in the doorway, "Sometimes, I wish I didn't have this power. This necklace has a piece of me inside of it. That's why I would die if it were to be destroyed. Sometimes, I wish I could destroy it, and be normal. I wish I was human." He didn't look up. "Do you ever wish you were normal?"

Silence.

I wondered if he was going to answer. When I was about to turn and walk away, Nico spoke up. "No." Pregnant pause. "But I wish you were."


	7. Suspicious Visitors Appear

**Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated, I haven't had ANY inspiration for this story…Reviews would REALLY help with that! Please enjoy and tell me what you think! The more reviews, the faster I will update!**

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** Favor #1: THIS WILL TAKE FIVE SECONDS, PROMISE3 my bestest friend in the whole entire world is doing a contest, and he would really like it if you would like this picture (most likes wins, and there's an awesome prize): do it for me please 3 **.?fbid=224986514244251&set=a.224985237577712.53436.134600843282819&type=1&theater

I couldn't sleep. I was exhausted but every time I closed my eyes, I couldn't keep them closed. I tossed and turned and my mind just wouldn't settle down. Finally, I swung out of bed and wandered around the house. I looked out of windows, turned on the TV for five minutes, drank some coffee but I just couldn't keep myself occupied. I thought about waking Nico, but that would probably make him hate me more.

The sun came up, and I was sitting in front of the TV watching South Park. It wasn't amusing me. Life was too serious for this silly show. Nico came downstairs and sat next to me on the couch.

"You didn't sleep at all," Nico stated, looking at my tired eyes. He didn't look concerned, and for a selfish second, I wished he was. "How are you supposed to train when you aren't keeping yourself healthy?" I looked him over. His hair wasn't brushed, he looked as if he hadn't slept in months, and he was unhealthily skinny.

"Aren't you being hypocritical?" I snapped without thinking.

I saw a hint of a smile on Nico's lips, "I knew you were just sucking up to me." I didn't ask what he meant, because I knew. I had been sucking up to him so he would like me and accept this mission. Obviously, I wasn't fooling him. I sure hadn't been fooling myself. I couldn't find a bratty comeback so I focused on the TV. "I'll make breakfast."

"Thank you," I said. I hated cooking. I always burned food or made cardboard cookies or something of the sort. I wondered if Nico knew that. "You know what I like about this?" I asked as I followed him into the kitchen. I would watch him. I would "supervise" because I was helpful like that. Nico didn't ask what. "We aren't travelling around in a stolen truck and staying a hotel every night."

"You liked it," he replied as he opened the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of eggs. "It was an adventure and you loved it." I was shocked by how bold his statement was. And how true it was. I had loved it and I would have never changed it.

I handed him the milk. I handed him the hot pepper. He made the best scrambled eggs I had ever tasted. He didn't eat any. I got out an extra plate and loaded it with scrambled eggs. I pushed it towards him. He shook his head.

"Eat," I demanded, "You say I don't take care of myself? Be a good example."

"That's you, so easily influenced," he replied coldly and dumped the eggs into the trashcan.

"I was going to eat those," I stated as I finished up my first plate of food.

"You eat too much."

He was calling me fat. I was not fat. I was big boned! I had muscle! Just because I was not insanely skinny like him didn't make me chubby! I had larger hips than most girls that shopped at Aeropostale, but I was not overweight.

"I didn't call you fat," Nico said as he washed the skillet. "Stop cussing me out in your head."

I crossed my arms, "I wasn't. The fact that you called me fat did not even cross my mind."

"You are a bad liar," Nico said and dried the skillet and put it back.

"I could have washed the dishes," I grabbed the towel to dry the plate he had just washed. "I'm not helpless."

"You are needy, Mrs. I-Am-A-Goddess-And-I-Get-What-I-Want," Nico replied, taking the towel back. "You've been pampered."

"How dare you say that? I have not! How would you even know? You have been in the underworld with no cares or worries! You never came to check up on me! You don't care so stop acting like you know ANYTHING," I yelled at him, finally bursting. I was tired of hoping that one day he would care about me again. I was tired of pretending everything would be okay. I was tired of trying so hard to get him to help me.

Nico sighed and said, "Calm down, you are just tired." He led me to the couch, and I laid my head in his lap. I was surprised by his gentleness, but before I could think about it too hard, I was overcome with sleep.

I woke up when it was dark. My head was still in Nico's lap and he was watching Clash of the Titans. I shut my eyes again, not wanting him to know I was awake yet. I had to collect my thoughts. I felt horrible for bursting out at him. I had lashed out and he hadn't deserved it.

"Stop thinking about it," Nico said, "You were tired. Not just physically tired, but tired of life."

"I'm sorry," I whispered, "You didn't deserve that. I just needed someone to take my anger out on. I feel better now." I did. "I understand if you leave. You probably don't want to help me now. It's okay, I can do this by myself. I can take care of myself." Nico stroked my hair and it was the first sign of affection he had shown in months. I turned over and looked up at him. "You don't think I can do it alone," I whispered when he didn't reply. "You don't know me anymore, I can." 

"When you are ready, you can do it," he replied. I hated it when he was right. I had just left everything I had known behind-my parents, my brother, and my friends. I hadn't trained in two years. 

"I will get ready," I replied, more determined than ever. I could prove to him that I could do this. 

"I'll think about it," Nico said. I was surprised. His eyes were still stone cold and I couldn't see that mischievous genius that I used to see in him 2 years ago. He was still troubled but with less attitude. 

"Why the change of heart?" I asked, but I should have shut my mouth. 

"Don't ask," he replied and I got the feeling he wanted to move. I sat up and he got up and walked out of the house.

I wondered if he would be coming back.

I had to start training. I got in my car and drove to the local gym. It was a simple, but busy, YMCA. I signed up for the membership and got on the treadmill.

I got tired within 5 minutes. I was sweating like a pig and I knew I didn't look attractive. There were cute guys all around me but I paid no attention to them.

I was out of shape. I hadn't worked out in months except for play tag at parties or walk my brother to the park. As a goddess, I didn't gain weight but I lost my strength. If only I could just shrink my body down to a size 2 and magically make myself pure muscle. If only it was that easy.

Then I noticed a boy staring at me. He was tall, muscular with green eyes and dark red hair. He was handsome but I didn't let that bother me. I went another 5 minutes and realized the boy was still staring at me.

In fact, he looked insanely familiar. I couldn't a place to his face and that bothered me.

Twenty minutes, he was still there and I was gasping for air as I turned off the treadmill. I remembered why I hated working out so much. My body burned and my throat was dry.  
>The boy walked over to me and handed me a water bottle, "Here you go."<p>

I didn't take it.

"It's not poisoned," he teased. "Don't be paranoid." I didn't take it.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" I asked as I wiped sweat from my forehead.

"Yeah, we had math together last year," he replied, "I'm Levi."

"Hi Levi, what are you doing here?" I asked, curious and a bit scared. What was a boy from my old high school in my new town?

"Checking out a college here," he answered, "It's a nice town."

I nodded, "It is. Well, bye." I waved goodbye and I noticed him watching me as I drove off.

The second I went home, I got on Google.

There was not a single college within 100 miles of this town.


	8. Burned cookies and frozen time

**Sorry for not updating in forever! Life has been hectic! I'm sick today so I thought I'd start this story back up! If you are reading this, please just review! Even if it's just "I like it" or "I hate it." Reviews give me inspiration! The more reviews I get, the more I update! Please enjoy! Hope you like it!**

Nico didn't return for hours. I paced the house, hating his guts. How could he just leave me? I was terrified he would never come back. What if something had happened? There was a whole bookshelf of books so I picked up the thinnest one. I hated reading books. Desperate times called for desperate measures. I read the first page but didn't process a single word. I threw the book across the room.

So I went to the kitchen and gave into my craving of sugar cookies. I found a recipe online and stared at the ingredients. Even with instructions, I didn't know where to start. I added too much sugar and not enough flower. I didn't have the right kind of oil, so I used a different type. They were turning a funny color. I put them in the oven and went to take a shower.

When I returned, the kitchen was filled with smoke. The cookies had caught on fire. I prayed…no hoped…that the fire alarm wouldn't go off. I opened the oven and smoke wafted into my face. I gagged and grabbed the cookie sheet. My hand burned. I had forgotten to grab a towel. I blew on my new burn and found a towel. I put the scorched cookies on the counter and stared at them.

"I will never leave you alone again," I heard Nico say. I turned and couldn't help but run to him and hug him.

"I thought you weren't coming back," I whispered. Nico stepped away, uncomfortable by the sign of affection. He looked at the dirty, smoky kitchen. "I can clean it."

"It _is _a woman's job," Nico replied, his face dead serious. I hit him with a towel. He caught a glimpse of my burned hand. "You can't cook again."

"It's fine," I replied, even though my red hand felt like it was on fire. "It'll go away. I'm stronger than I look." I remembered working out and realized I wasn't as strong as I thought I was. "Let's go to the store and get some hot wings and sugar cookies." I looked him over, "Did you go shopping?" He was wearing a Hollister shirt and new jeans. "You didn't take me?"

There was a faint smile on Nico's face, "I didn't have enough money to buy you everything you wanted. So I left you here."

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my keys. "Let's go."

"It's not safe out there. I'm pretty sure I was being followed," Nico replied.

"I won't be cooped up in this house," I replied. Levi had seemed pretty harmless. He was probably just a spy for one of the titans. He couldn't hurt us. I looked down at my sweat pants and my tank top that was covered in flour. Oh well. We got in the car and I turned on Adele. "I like this town." I _loved_ this town. It was a small town, two hours away from any big cities like New York City. There was a beautiful park, several cafes and an old city hall. "Wish I could stay here forever."

He didn't reply. It was during times like this that I wished he would ask where I had been. I wished he would take time to find out who I was now. We found a Wal-Mart and I carefully parked the car. "I've become a good driver," I spoke up as we got out of the car, "It's because I'm so experienced. I would drive my brother almost every day." I wondered what Alex was doing right now. It was better that he had forgotten me. If only I could forget him. Something's are impossible to forget.

"Did you bring money?" Nico asked. I smiled wearily at him. "Fine, I guess I'm paying for your damn food."

"You can eat some of it too," I replied. We both knew I didn't share my food. Ever. We stepped inside the store and both froze. "There's a monster here."

Nico cursed in Greek, "We should have never left."

"Let's get our food and see if we can leave without it-" I didn't have a chance to finish my sentence. There was a roar from across the store and food fell from shelves. Boxes flew into the air and a monster I had never seen before stood there.

Time froze.

Literally.

People stopped in mid scream, their hands blocking their faces from the flying cans. Boxes stopped in the air. No one moved. Not even the monster.

Nico and I looked at each other.

"What just happened?" I finally asked.

"Someone else is here," he replied. We walked down the aisles, trying to find any movement. I kept my eye on the giant monster. "It shouldn't be here."

"What is it?" I was horrified by its green hued skin, bleeding cheeks and overgrown nails.

"Achyls, the demon of misery. He isn't supposed to be out of the underworld. I kept him trapped there."

Then it hit me. How selfish I was being. Nico was the ruler of the underworld. He was needed there. The underworld could become chaotic because he wasn't there. "Do you need to go back?"

"A good friend is taking over for me," he replied with a slight smile. It seemed as if I knew who this friend was and we were sharing a quiet secret. We couldn't find anyone. Who had stopped time? I glanced out the entrance and into the parking lot. People outside were frozen too. It was as if the whole world had stopped.

Time unfroze. Suddenly, everything seemed faster than normal. Something exploded from the corner of the room and we ducked. Debris fell over us. People began to scream again.

"How do we kill it?" I asked Nico.

"You can't kill them, just send them back to where they belong," his eyes darted around the building. "You distract him and I can push him back to the underworld." I nodded. Leave it to Nico to always have a plan. We ran in opposite directions. I ran in front of Achyls, waving my arms and yelling inappropriate insults at it.

It lunged at me and I easily dodged it. It bared it's long teeth at me, and I looked into its eyes. Pain. Sadness. The spirit of misery was crying. I bit my lip and refused to cry with it. Nico ran behind it and slit its throat. It turned to black smoke and disappeared through the ground.

People were crying and staring at us. We had to get out of this town. We ran out of the building and I fumbled with my keys and turned on the car. Sirens wailed in the distance.

"What happened in there?" I finally found my voice. Nico didn't say anything because he didn't know either. "What is happening to our world?"

"We can't go back to the house," he finally said.

"Why not?"

"Where there is one spirit, there is always more. They've known we are since this morning. This spirit was probably sent to scare us back to the house, where the rest of them will attack us," Nico thought aloud. I hoped he was right. Then at least we knew what was going on.

"One more place I can't return to," I let out a deep sigh. "Where do we go?" Usually the gods helped by giving a clue or a guide. This time, we had nothing. I began to wonder if the gods were even on our side anymore. Maybe they were tired of waiting a week to find out if Nico and I would help.

I looked in the rearview mirror and caught a glance at the face of the driver behind us.

Levi was following us.


	9. Unfortunately, Nico cannot be seduced

**Hope you like it 3 review! **

"We are back to cheap motels," I said, looking around the dinky room. We had found an old town that smelled of sewer. A monster would not be able to find us. I turned to face Nico, "Are you sticking around?"

"I have two days to decide," Nico said, plopping down on the bed. "Don't rush me." It wasn't a no, so it was good enough for me.

After a prolonged silence, I finally spoke up, "Tell me about the Underworld."

"It is in chaos," he replied, and I was surprised by his honesty. I turned on the TV when I realized that he wasn't going to say more. I would leave him to his own thoughts. It turned onto a news channel about Greece. Uninterested, I changed it. It changed to another news station about Greece. Frustrated, I flipped ten channels but the same shot of Greece appeared.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what was going on.

"The gods want us to go to Greece," I let out a long sigh and stared at the screen. Nico sat up abruptly.

"Greece?" He sounded worried. He didn't want to go there, I could tell. Something was there that he wanted to avoid. I knew better than to ask questions. He wouldn't answer me.

"The gods want us to go there," I stated the obvious.

"No."

"Nico! This is a clue! We can't just pretend we didn't see it!" I cried, growing frustrated.

"You can go without me," he simply states. He folds his arms and lay back down on the bed. I crawled next to him, and looked into his chocolate brown eyes. They reminded me how much we had changed. His eyes weren't full of mischief and he didn't remind me of an evil genius. He was just a boy who wanted to go home.

"I can't make you go," I whispered into his ear, "But I _want _you to." I stroked his hair and I could feel his breath on my lips. "I can't do this without you." A low laugh escaped my throat and I realized it didn't sound like me. "Please?" I fluttered my eyelashes and gave him a sly smile.

Nico pushed me away, "Stop doing that, Rose."

"Doing what?" I asked, although I knew exactly what I was doing.

"You are trying to seduce me." He was angry with me. He was frowning and scooting away from me.

Silence surrounded us and it suffocated me. "Say it," I finally said, unable to handle the tension. "Say what you are thinking."

Nico got up in my face, but not in the same way I had. He was trembling with emotions. The past 5 days of bonding had disappeared within a blink of an eye. All it had taken was a few words and we had fallen apart. I hated myself. I hated how I had let instincts take over. I hated _everything. _

"You are a goddess, and you sure as hell act like one! Stop treating me like I am inferior! I am sure you seduce plenty of guys, but I am not one of them! You cannot persuade me by begging! Rose, I miss _you _not this goddess you are trying to be!" His words stung. I had been expecting them. I had wanted him to speak his feelings for days now, but I hadn't wanted him to say this.

I did what I did best. I lashed back, "You are the one to talk!" Stop talking Rose, I tried to convince myself. "You aren't the same person I used to know! It's like you have just given up on everything! I'm fighting! I am helping the gods, because it is my duty! I am a goddess, get used to it!" The words were harsh, and my tone was harsher. I took a deep breath and moved away from Nico, "I'm sorry, I don't mean any of that." I truly didn't. "I know you are running from something."

Nico jerked in surprise. He always forgot that I was more observant than I seemed. "I will cause more trouble than I will help," he finally said. "I want to help you, Rose. This is a war that they have put on you to fight alone. But, I will just get us killed."

I crossed my arms, "Why?"

"The less you know, the better," he replied. "If we go to Greece, that means we have agreed to help the gods."

"The gods aren't so bad, you know," I didn't know why I was defending them. They had put me through hell and I had been their tool. "They have a lot of responsibilities."

"There is one difference between you and the other gods," Nico randomly said. He paused for a moment to think over what he was going to say. He always thought before he spoke. "You would give up your immortality any day. They relish theirs."

"The world of gods is no place for me," I replied, "I do not belong with them." _I belong with you, _I thought. I wished I could say it. I was afraid I would say it too late, just like last time. "That's why I ran away. You are running too."

"Because I am a coward," he said. Nico was a lot of things, but he was not a coward. I wouldn't let him think that for a second.

I sat next to him again, careful that we were not touching. "You are running because you think it is the best. Cowards run because it is easy."

"Then you aren't a coward either," Nico confided in me, "It is easy being an immortal-"

I quickly interrupted him, "It is hard. You know, I can't just go to Africa and live normal. People will forget me and I will disappear. I depend on people."

Nico reached out and put an arm around me. I was shocked by this little sign of affection and didn't dare move. "I'll go with you, Rose." I hoped he would say more. "I can buy tickets in the morning." That night, I was washed over with bad dreams. I shook and thrashed around in bed. I awoke at 3am with Nico shaking me. "Rose…" I was trembling. "What was the dream about?"

"I don't remember," I forced out, "It…it was…in Greece."

Nico gently pushed me over and slid in bed next to me.

Greece would be a nightmare.


	10. Killer Statues Are Not My Idea of Fun

**Please review 3 **

I despised airplanes. I gripped onto Nico's wrist the whole time. I struggled to keep breathing. Nico seemed perfectly relaxed and even fell asleep during the long flight. I tried to watch movies, but I couldn't focus.

What was I getting myself into? If Nico got hurt, it would be my fault.

"Stop doubting your choice," Nico said. I flinched in surprise. I hadn't noticed that Nico had woken up. I stared out the plane window, looking at the city lights. The sun was going down, but I wished it would stay up. I loved the sun.

"I don't think I made the right choice," I replied, trying to clear my blurred mind. "Nico…"

"We both know that you can't sit around and do nothing," he said, and I realized just how well he knew me. "You live for this." It was true. I couldn't ignore the calling of Rome.

I leaned my head against his shoulder, "Thank you. For coming. For being here." This was all I had ever wanted. To have him here with me. He had agreed to help me. This time, I refused to lose him.

Nico looked like he wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut. He knew when and where to say things. It was something I had never learned. I played with my necklace, wishing it wasn't so beautiful. It was tempting. It called my name. It wouldn't let me take it off.

It controlled me.

It was like the ring from Lord of the Rings. I sighed and laid back, trying to sleep. Every time the plane jerked, I gripped onto Nico. "You're going to leave bruises," Nico rolled his eyes.

"We are going to die," I muttered, "Couldn't we have driven and then taken a boat or something?"

"The whole world would have been destroyed by the time we arrived to Rome," Nico reasoned. Leave it to him to be logical.

The sun was rising when the plane landed. Finally, I could breathe again. I pushed past everyone, making sure I was the first one off. I had never loved land so much.

Everything about Rome was over exaggerated. There were so many tourists, cars and nice hotels. It was nothing like the pictures. It was too crowded. We stood on a busy sidewalk, wondering what to do next.

"Maybe we should…go to that thing," I said, forgetting the name. "That circular thing which is destroyed. You know."

Nico did know. It was a short walk. I felt so small when I saw it. It was so large and old. I remembered how much people had depended on the gods. So few people depend on the gods now. How so few people depend on me.

"Can we go inside?" I asked, hoping we could. We were here for answers, and I was eager to find them. Going inside was gated off, but we slipped past the guards. On the wall, there was a message spray painted in red.

_Run, or you will burn in Tartarus with everyone else. _I read it over and over again. It was a threat. It made me want to run. I was so tempted to turn and walk away. I glanced over at Nico. He wasn't the slightest bit intimidated. He made me feel stronger. Braver. Better.

"What are we looking for?" I asked, my voice shaking. I wanted to forget about the message on the wall. I shuddered. This place felt dangerous. We wandered through the halls and then we stumbled upon a gold statue. It was a statue of Athena, its arms outstretched, as if welcoming a young child. The statue was holding a scroll. It looked a thousand years old.

Nico carefully grabbed it and slid it out of Athena's hand. The hand suddenly moved and gripped onto the scroll. I jumped in surprise, and Nico fell backwards. The statue looked at us, a scowl on its face.

It was obvious.

The statue wanted us dead.

"We need to get that scroll," I whispered to Nico. I could tell he was thinking of a plan. The statue stepped forward us, and suddenly it held a sword. "How. Did. It. Do. That?" Nico didn't say a word. I looked at him, my eyes wild with fear. "Nico, how do we kill a statue? It's GOLD."

"We get the scroll, and run. We can't kill it. It can't leave hallway though," Nico replied. It was easier said than done. "I'll distract. You get the scroll." I appreciated his wits. This boy would never stop saving my life.

Nico pulled out his weapon and I stepped away from the fight scene. I hid behind a slab of marble, and waited until the statue was completely focused on Nico. It stabbed and dodged. It was a good fighter. It was fast. Who had summoned this statue? Which god was against us?

I flung myself onto the back of the statue and reached for the scroll. The statue flailed its arms and shook its body. It would do anything to get me off of it. It threw me to the floor and didn't realize that the scroll was missing. I held it tight in my hand.

I caught the gaze of Nico and nodded. It was time to go. The statue was faster than us. We made a run for the exit, but it caught Nico by the arm. It jerked him so hard, I could hear the crack of his shoulder. He didn't cry out in pain, but I could feel how bad it hurt. His shoulder was dislocated. It would be useless.

I cursed myself. This had been such a silly idea! I stuffed the scroll into my back pocket and reached for Nico. The statue had its arm across his neck and he was choking.

I wouldn't let him die. We didn't get this far, escape the gods and the titans, just to be killed by a statue. I attacked the statue, forcing its arm away from Nico's throat. He fell to the ground, gasping for air.

"Run!" I hissed at him. He didn't move. He wouldn't leave me. I suddenly hated him for his loyalty. Why couldn't he just leave me? Oh, right. I had the scroll. He couldn't leave the scroll.

I reached for my necklace and ripped it open. Lightning flashed around us, and a bolt struck the statue. The statue turned black and disintegrated. I quickly closed the necklace.

"Why didn't you do that sooner?" Nico asked with a teasing tone. I became dizzy and collapsed to the ground. Nico caught me before my head hit the floor. He slowly laid my head on his lap and stroked my hair.

"I got the scroll," I muttered before blacking out.


	11. I Follow Nico

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I woke up, completely disoriented.

"I don't know how long I can keep this up," I moaned, "I'm so done with this." I hadn't even opened my eyes yet. I slowly blinked and sat up. I was in a hotel room. I would give anything to be home with my family. I wanted _normal. _I wanted to drive my little brother places. I wanted to help my mom make dinner. I wanted my own bed.

Nico was next to me. There were dark circles under his eyes. "I'd like to go home too," he replied, with a tone that I couldn't decode. Was it bitterness? Was he angry at me? He held the scroll in his hand. "I can't read it. It's not in Greek. It's a language that I've never seen before."

I groggily reached for it and looked it over. I had hoped that I would have recognized the language. I wanted to prove to Nico that I was smart too. "What's for breakfast?"

"Is food always on your mind?" Nico groaned but there was a hint of a smile in his voice. We were too tired to say anything more. He got up and handed me a box of cinnamon toast crunch. I dumped some in my hand and stuffed it in my mouth. It tasted delicious.

After I was satisfied, I knew there were important things to focus on. Even though I wanted to, I couldn't give up. "What next?"

"We find out what language this is," he replied, "there has to be a linguist around here."We both knew it wasn't going to be that easy. It was probably another language of the gods, and no mortal linguist would recognize it. He glanced over at me. "We have a week before all of Greece burns."

"How do you know?" I asked, but I didn't really want to know the answer. Nico had connections that I didn't want to know about.

"A dream," he was lying. He was a good liar, but he used a tone that I was all too familiar with. "The gods have this plan for Greece, and it's going to be ruined. That's when you do your job." I wanted to beg for the truth. I wanted him to stop lying to me. I wanted to know why he was really doing this. I wanted to know how he knew all of this. Were the gods contacting him, but not me?

"I'm not ready," I suddenly realized how unprepared I was. "I'm not strong enough."

"You don't have a choice," he replied, giving a dark look. It was threatening. "I'll Google some linguists."

"What if we go to the wrong person and it's really a monster and it kills us and we die?" I rambled.

"You're positive today," Nico rolled his eyes. "I'm going to go out. You can turn on the TV and watch something." He sounded like my babysitter.

"Okay," I replied nonchalantly. He couldn't possibly think I would actually stay here. He gave me a suspicious glance but slipped on his shoes and left. I was right behind him. Nico was up to something. I desperately wanted him to be the good guy, but this was the king of the underworld that I was dealing with. Anything was possible.

He took a back alley, away from the city and the crowds. I quickly followed him, glad I was wearing flats that didn't flop or squeak. I had never been good at following someone, and I tried my best to stay in the shadows. He frequently looked back, but never caught sight of me. I had always been good at hide and seek, and this wasn't much different.

He entered a small shop. I froze, unsure of what to do next. I waited a moment and entered the store. It was small and dark, with small trinkets lining the dusty walls. It reminded me of a creepy shop that belonged in movies like Harry Potter.

Nico was nowhere in sight. There was no one else. I spotted a staircase that led down in the corner. There was nowhere else that he could have gone. The boards creaked under my weight and I quietly went down the stairs. There were voices.

"Are you sure that she trusts you?" a husky voice asked.

"Completely," the voice clearly belonged to Nico. I caught my breath. "She trusts me with her life."

"Are you sure you got this under control?"

"I got the scroll. I can only read a few symbols, but the mission will be complete soon," Nico answered. "You will be able to rise to power again."

Silence. My breathing seemed too loud, and I swore they could hear me. I gripped onto the railing, trying to collect my thoughts. Who was he talking about? What did this mean?

"Tonight is a good night to do it," the voice told Nico.

"That's the plan." There was another silence and then they started moving. I hurried upstairs, trying to get away before they came upstairs. I ran down the alley and crashed into my hotel room. I brushed my hair and straightened my clothes and laid on the bed. Nico opened the door and studied me. I was casually watching TV, trying to keep a straight face.

"I found a linguist, and he's going to study it," he stated, kicking off his shoes and casually laying next to me. "There's a street fair tonight. I thought it would be fun." I looked at him, trying to figure out what was going on inside of his head. Nico didn't believe in fun. I remembered what the voice had said. Tonight was a good night to do what? Would Nico hurt me? I doubted it. If he wanted to, he had already had plenty of opportunities to kill me.

"It's a masquerade event," he added. That was so cliché. Bad things happen at masquerade parties. "Perhaps you should go out and find a mask. I don't want to see it though."

"Don't you need one too?" I tried to not sound suspicious. It was hard to act.

"I already bought mine," he answered with a smirk.

"Can I see it?" He shook his head. I frowned. "Why not?" He didn't answer. He kept his eyes on the TV. I wished he would look at me. I wanted eye contact. But then he would be able to see right through me. I would never be able to see him as clearly as he saw me.

"We'll meet at 8 at the fair," he finally said, sitting up.

"How will you find me? I'll be wearing a mask," I stated dumbly. No duh, sherlock! Why did I have to say something so stupid?

"I'll know it's you," he looked at my chest. I was going to slap him for looking down my low cut tank top, but then I realized he wasn't checking out my boobs. He was looking at my necklace. This had something to do with my necklace. I tried to read his expression, but it was blank. He nodded at me and went into the bathroom.

What was going on?


	12. Greek Yogurt is not my favorite food

**New chapter! Review!**

I had no idea what to wear. Was the event fancy or casual? I hadn't had very many chances to think about appearances. I couldn't remember the last time that I had thought about what I wore or how my hair looked. Now, I actually had time to think about it. I still couldn't decide if I was pretty. My blonde hair had been tainted platinum by the sun. My eyes were multiple colors, but it was part of being a god. I knew that I could look any way I wanted to. I could be 4 or I could be 70. But I didn't want to change the way I really looked.

It was moments like this when I realized, _oh my god, I am going to live forever. _I was going to be alive when everyone else around me was dead. I shuddered and tried to push that out of my mind. I opened the hotel closet and noticed a dress. There was a note on it. _Wear this -Nico. _Since when did Nico care about what I wore? It was probably so he could find me. I yanked the dress out of the closet. It was beautiful. The neck was a deep V and the skirt hugged tight to my wide hips. It was short, barely covering my thighs. I cursed Nico and how ridiculous he could be.

I had never been good with hair. I just pulled it up into a messy bun, but I was dissatisfied. I was dissatisfied with the way I looked. My makeup looked all wrong, my hair too dull and my skin too dry. After months of not caring, it hit me like bricks. I wanted to look pretty for Nico. I wanted to impress him. I wanted him to look at me and think I was pretty. But that wouldn't happen. He had never called me pretty before, and I doubt he ever would.

Then I saw the shoes. They were the most impractical, ridiculous shoes I had ever seen. They were black stilettos, and they were four inches high. They were stunning but I couldn't walk in heels. If we got attacked by a monster, I would be dead within 30 seconds. I couldn't run. I would fall to my death and get eaten.

Maybe this was just a death wish from Nico. I was tempted to go barefoot, but I didn't want to disappoint Nico so I slipped on the heels. I looked in the mirror. This was the best I was going to look. The streets were already crowded with preparations. Decorations were being put up. I had never seen so much glitter and feathers before in my life. I found a vendor who was selling masks. I found one that was turquoise. It was just a shade darker than my dress but it was the best I could find. It had feathers and beads and I fell in love with it. Maybe someday I would have a chance to wear it again. If I survived tonight.

The sky began to get darker and the streets became crowded. Lights hung from balconies and I felt like I had just walked into a movie. I looked around, trying to find Nico. There were so many boys that were his height and had the same skin color as him. But none of them walked like Nico. He held himself like no other man could.

"You shouldn't be here," a voice piped up behind me. I whirled around, ready to strike. Instead of a monster, I faced a demigod. I could sense her godly blood. She was the only one not dressed up for the occasion. She wore a hoodie and skinny jeans and knee high converse. She looked at me with intense violet eyes. "If you stay, you'll die."

Sometimes, I had a tendency of not believing people and pushing warning asides. This was not one of those times. I was already on edge and felt like something bad was going to happen. "What do you know?"

She titled her head aside and answered quietly, "Enough to know that you should leave." Then she walked away. I tried to follower her but got lost in the crowd. My heart was beating quickly and I could barely breathe. I had to find Nico. It was a little past 8PM, and I just wanted to get away from here. I wanted to leave this country. I decided that if I didn't find Nico in 10 minutes, I would go back to the hotel. This was all his fault anyway. If he had just told me where to meet him, I wouldn't be in this situation.

I wandered through the crowd, pushing people out of my way. My mind was screaming, "Nico! Find me! Nico!"But it was no use. My mouth couldn't say what my mind needed it to say. I found a bench and sat down, swearing I would only sit for a few minutes.

There was an earsplitting scream and I jumped to my feet. I had no weapons. I was unprepared for a monster. But the screams turned to laughter. They had only been spooked by something. It was hard to relax again. I saw a sign for Greek yogurt and decided to try it out. I was on edge as I walked into the small shop and ordered pinapple greek yogurt. I hated yogurt but I loved pinapple. Maybe greek yogurt tasted better. I took a bite and instantly groaned. It was disgusting. I was tempted to spit out. I smiled at the server and walked away. When I was out of view, I threw the Greek yogurt in the trash.

_This way, _a voice said inside of my head. _Come find me. _I didn't recognize the hoarse voice. I slowly looked at the alley that I had followed Nico down. _That's right. Go. _And I did go. I tried to find reasons to stay where I was. But I couldn't. I had to find out what was going on. I had to finish this. I fingered my locket as I walked down the alley. _Inside. _The store that Nico had been in earlier. I walked inside and instinctively walked down the stairs. My eyes looked straight ahead as I slowly stepped down the rackety staircase.

The room was dark with only a lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. There was a dark figure in the corner. He was tall with broad shoulders. I couldn't see his face.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

The man let out a dark laugh, "Your worst nightmare. Literally."

"Morpheus?" I remembered the creatures that had chased me. "What do you want?"

"Your immortality," he stepped into the light. He had dark skin and black eyes. His eyes immediately went to my necklace. "Give me your powers and you will live."

I opened my mouth and shut it. I had always wanted to be normal. I just wanted to be mortal. I didn't want to be a goddess. But I knew better than to give into the things I wanted. My desires were selfish. "No way." He reached out to grab me.

"Get the hell away from her!" someone ran down the stairs and stood next to me. It was the girl from earlier. She held a long sword. "You have officially pissed me off, Morpheus." She turned to me, "Go! You need to get out of here! Leave it to me!" Her voice held such power, I didn't doubt her. I turned to run but Morpheus caught me and pushed me against the wall.

He reached out to grab my necklace. If he took the necklace, this would be all over. I was the only one who would be able to fight Coeus.

Was this the end?


	13. Everyone is against me

**Review(:**

The girl pushed Moprheus out of my way. He whirled around and punched the girl. She seemed completely unfazed by his power and she fought back. I looked at the doorway. It seemed so far away. I knew I wouldn't be able to get away with Morpheus coming after me again. I would have to fight. I glanced down at my necklace. If things got bad enough, I would have to open it. It drained so much energy out of me, but I wouldn't have a choice.

I didn't have much time to think. I round-house kicked Morpheus but he didn't even stumble. Where was Nico? _Nico, _I cried out, _I really need you. _Although the demigod was strong, Morpheus was easily winning. She was getting tired while Morpheus didn't even break a sweat.

Then I smelled the smoke. I sniffed the air. The building was on fire. "We have to go!" I yelled at the girl. She stopped for a split second when she noticed the smoke. It was starting to waft into the room. I inched towards the exit, but Morpheus immediately caught my arm. He was fast. I felt his grip starting to bruise my skin.

The smoke was getting thicker. I would not be beaten by Morpheus. I remembered the assignment that the gods had given me. I was supposed to get inside his head and figure out what was giong on. It was long past this. Someone was going to destroy Rome. Right now, I didn't even know what I was fighting against. I just knew that all the gods were going after me. Someone wanted to rise to power, and needed my necklace to do it.

But who?

The demigod struck Morpheus with her sword and he let out a yelp. His grasp was loosened and I slipped away from him. I could hear the fire now. I looked up. The ceiling was started to heave. I ran to the doorway. Everywhere was on fire. There was no way out of this building. I touched my necklace and it burned me. I let out a cry and looked at my blistered fingers.

My own necklace was against me.

The ceiling cracked. It threatened to cave in. The demigod was bruised and it looked like she had hurt her ankle. We wouldn't be able to win this. I cursed myself for not having any useful powers. I wasn't like Percy Jackson, who could control water. I wasn't like Nico, who could bring skeletons out of the ground or travel by shadow.

I had to use my necklace. It didn't feel hot against my chest, so I hoped that it wouldn't burn me. I held my breath and flipped open the necklace. Just the quick touch scorched my fingers. It turned my fingertips raw. The necklace flashed blue, and I felt it start to control my body.

Morpheus stepped back in shock. He had never seen the necklace's power before. Most people who saw it didn't survive to tell the story. My palms started to glow. With this necklace, I was the most powerful goddess in the world. Morpheus could not defeat me, and he now realized that.

"I'll go," he let out a laugh, "but I'll be back. An unlikely god will rise from the ashes and raise hell and you'll be the first to go." The necklace snapped shut, and the glow was gone. I hadn't even shut it. What was going on?

I wanted to ask questions. I wanted to know who this god was. God or titan? He disappeared like a dream. But just like a dream, the memory of him started to fade from my mind.

Morpheus had been here, but what had he wanted? I barely remembered what he looked like. I felt like I had just woken up from a dream. I remembered a few little details, but not what had actually happened. The demigod stood next to me. She looked confused as well. What had Morpheus said? Why was he here?

"Let's find a way out," I urged the demigod. We didn't have any time to stall. Smoke was bellowing now. The fire was strong. Fire surrounded the room. My fingers were already scorched, and my whole body would be next. Then the ceiling caved in. The debris fell on us and we were forced to the ground. A beam fell over my legs. I covered my face from blocks of wood. I was stuck. The fire burned closer.

"Are you still alive?" I called out.

"I am," she replied, "but not for long." The fire was so close to us, I could feel the heat. It was sucking all of the oxygen out of the air. I brushed off the debris and sat up. Pain shot through my body. I pushed on the beam, but it was there to stay.

Where was Nico? This building was on fire! But something told me that this wasn't normal fire. This was the godly kind. Mortals wouldn't be able to detect that this was a fire. They probably thought the building was just all lit up for decoration. Whoever had set this fire had wanted us to die and no one else to ever know about it.

But Nico would be able to see the fire.

"You're not going to die," I huffed.

"You're just trying to convince yourself," she replied, not believing a word I said. That's when I got scared. I couldn't breathe anymore. My skin was blackened from debris. I was stuck in one place. My necklace wasn't working. This was all wrong. It wasn't supposed to be like this. I looked over at the demigod. I could barely see her through the thick smoke.

"Sorry I got you in this mess," I said.

"No time for apologies," she hissed, but I could tell that she was scared too.

Then the fire stopped. It was gone. The smoke disappeared. The beam on my leg felt lighter. I pushed it away and breathed in fresh air. I didn't have time or energy to be confused. The necklace had drained me of energy and hope. "I need to find Nico."

"Right behind you," the demigod hopped up but bit her lip when she landed on her ankle. "I'm Elise. I can help you."

I didn't ask her how she could help. I didn't wonder if I could trust her. I wasn't going to fight anyone right now. I wasn't going to argue. We walked out to the street, and we realized how dirty we were. I no longer looked even remotely pretty. I was a mess. Nico hadn't been able to see me at my best. We walked down the busy street and no one even looked our way. We looked for thirty minutes before I felt like I was going to collapse.

We gave up and we went to the hotel room.

Nico laid on the bed, watching TV.


End file.
